The retro sofa makes a comeback – here's how to style it in your living room

The retro sofa may well be the answer to this season's lockdown living room fatigue. By now, we've all spent so much time in our lounge areas that many have the itch to reconfigure these spaces and find living room ideas that go beyond the tried and tested. 

Yet sometimes, finding the most unexpected and joyful new decorating look is about going back to the future, as it were. This season, the playful, futuristic sofa designs from the 1960s are making a big comeback in living room design – and they may well be the antidote to the couch boredom we're all experiencing. 

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The return of the retro sofa has been marked by Ligne Roset relaunching its iconic Asmara sofa – a modular piece of furniture that still amazes with its curved shape and almost extra-terrestrial look. 

First launched in 1966, the Asmara was designed by a young architect, Bernard Govin, and its considered shape does echo the bold shapes of modernist houses. Olivier Roest, Ligne Roset's General Manager, describes this piece as 'inventive, lyrical and revolutionary' and explains that it is 'is ideal for flexible open plan living, morphing from an island for laid-back lounging with friends and family, to a row of cinema-style low-level contour-hugging seats.'

This type of sofa seems to really come alive in neutral rooms with tall ceilings, adding a playful, light touch that can't be achieved with a more traditional sofa. 

Thankfully, retro sofa designs aren't all about a large scale and can work brilliantly as small living room ideas. Jonathan Adler explains that a 'unique sofa' presents a multitude of decorating opportunities, from 'floating' the piece 'in the middle of your living room to anchor an organic furniture plan' or 'lett[ing] it own that corner you haven't figured out what to do with yet – ours is even petite enough to pop into your bedroom corner.'

Finally, an unusual-looking sofa 'announces to the world that you are on the varsity decorating squad,' according to Jonathan. The 1960s interior decorating style was nothing if not outward-facing, all about making a statement and delighting guests as much as hosts.

The retro sofa trend embodies that mentality: open to the world, optimistic about future possibilities, and – last but not least – never content to play it safe. 

For more trend inspiration see why brown is the color you need to bring into your home this year.